Geelong ruck Rhys Stanley subbed out before half time despite no injury during Port Adelaide clash

Geelong Manager Chris Scott made an unprecedented coaching move by substituting a player for tactical reasons before half-time.

The Cats were all at sea in an uncharacteristically bad start to their Friday night AFL clash against Port Adelaideand decided to make a surprising move.

WATCH ABOVE: Rhys Stanley was substituted before half-time.

Stream analysis, local games and highlights for free 7 plus

Geelong were 48 points down midway through the second quarter when they dropped Reece Stanley from the 2022 Premiership game to inject Oisin Mullen into the race.

Usually, tactical substitutions are only made later in the game, often in the last quarter, to avoid the risk of playing the game one down if an injury occurs after the substitution has already been made.

But Scott threw caution to the wind by pulling the trigger on the fly with more than half the game remaining.

“Definitely tactical – we don’t see any injury concerns around Rhys Stanley,” said Abbey Holmes.

Geelong later confirmed the veteran big was uninjured.

Brian Taylor was amazed at the bold move.

“Wow, he looks pretty messed up,” Taylor said of Stanley.

It also caught fans off guard.

“Rhys Stanley tactically withdrew before half-time. I never thought I would see the day,” said one.

Port Adelaide kicked the first four goals of the game and 12 of the first 15 to shock the hosts in what should have been The Tom Hawkins Special Night.

Hawkins equaled Joel Selwood’s record number of games for Geelong with 355 on Friday night.

But he had taken some humble form in the race, after going scoreless in his previous four games.

The veteran finally broke a duck in the second quarter when he scored a set shot.

He took another shot late in the third quarter, but missed.